Sand & Ruin
by DarthVerrat
Summary: Vader is caught in an ambush above Tatooine and is stranded on his homeworld. The person that comes to his rescue is the last person in the galaxy he expected to see again. Post RoTS AU Rating may change in the future.
1. Traitor

**Sand & Ruin**

 **«Chapter One»**

 **Traitor**

The black emptiness of space graced the wide expanse of the Devastator's bridge viewport. Distant stars flickered in and out of sight on the vast open horizon in front of the Star Destroyer. Communications officers and bridge command scurried about the bridge preparing for the jump to Vjun. Vader turned feeling a presence reaching out to him through the Force.

 _Master._

An officer approached, standing at attention silently regarding the cowled Dark Lord. "His Excellency would like to speak with you in your chambers my lord."

Vader dismissed the junior officer with a nod and passed him with great strides the doors to the bridge snapping open as he approached. Vader stepped into the turbolift and ascended up into his personal chambers situated just above the Devastator's bridge. The doors magnetically sealed behind him and the lights dimmed in the room as the holoprojector activated revealing Lord Sidious seated on his throne.

Vader withdrew his black cowl, and knelt before his Master. "You may rise my friend. What is the fate of our rogue Jedi Knight?" he said with a smile that had already decided the Jedi's fate.

"Dead, my master," Vader answered, supplying the Knight's lightsaber as proof.

"Then we are one step closer to restoring peace to the galaxy my apprentice. It will be a glorious day for the Empire when we pluck the seeds of corruption the Jedi sowed free from the galaxy," Palpatine sneered, "I have foreseen it."

Vader paced the room. Palpatine's image flickered out of focus as the transmission switched to subspace as the Star Destroyer entered hyperspace. "Have we located any further Jedi?"

"Intelligence has not uncovered where they have gone to ground. The only Jedi left that poses a threat to us is Kenobi," the Emperor said, his presence bearing down on Vader through the Force.

"He escaped me on Mustafar. He will not be so lucky the next time we cross paths," Vader insisted.

Palpatine regarded his apprentice silently for a moment. "Return to Vjun and await my summons Lord Vader."

"As you wish, my master."

The Emperor's image cut out and the lights flickered back into existence. Vader began to meditate reaching out through the Force. He could feel the emptiness in the back of his mind and pushed against the cold wall Obi-wan had thrown up after Mustafar. _Obi-wan._ Vader called out through his bond with his old Master. He was greeted with only silence and the hum of the ship around him.

Giving up yet again Vader slipped deeper into a meditative trance, letting the Force flow through him. He reached out one last time probing the barrier Obi-wan had thrown up to shut his old apprentice out. Vader could feel the pain and grief behind it and flinched away.

A twinge of guilt snaked through him catching in a lump in his throat. He swallowed it hard and quashed it. Guilt was dangerous. Vader surrendered to the torrent of emotions building inside him and released them in a concussive blast scattering the furniture around the room. Vader rose and walked over to the viewport when he felt a twinge of danger through the Force.

The familiar blue streaks of hyperspace where still all he could see and Vjun was still a long way off. The Force's warning grew greater when the Star Destroyer lurched violently to the left and dropped out of hyperspace harshly. All systems powered down briefly before coming back online. Vader stared out the viewport at the two Interdictors and activated his comm, "Admiral, contact those cruisers and order them to disengage their gravity wells."

"We have been unsuccessfully trying to contact the Defiant and the Stalwart my lord."

Lord Vader spun on his heel and made his way for the turbolift to take him back down to the Devastator's command bridge. The power flickered through the ship again as the lift's lights cut out once more leaving Vader in total darkness momentarily. Vader entered the bridge with purpose pushing past the crew members rushing about to figure out the source of all the confusion.

Vader joined the Admiral at the bridge's viewport. "Still no word from the cruisers?"

"No my lord, your orders?" the Admiral supplied with a shake of his head.

"All crew to stations on standby. Something isn't right." Vader felt the same sense of danger heighten as a warning siren blared.

"Admiral, sensors are detecting a large force emerging from hyperspace!" a communications officer called out from behind one of the many consoles that acted as the heart of the Devastator. Four Star Destroyers flashed into view and stood idly in place in front of the much smaller Interdictors.

Vader felt their weapons bays warming up and beginning to target parts of the Devastator's entourage of frigates and cruisers. "All weapons bays at the ready," Vader ordered, "Prepare to scramble all fighters."

"Those are Imperial ships my lord," the Admiral replied, clearly confused.

"Just do it," Vader snarled at him.

Two of the approaching Star Destroyers unloaded their ion and turbolaser batteries in a barrage obliterating the Victory-class Destroyer and Acclamator frigate closest to them. Emergency sirens began to claxon throughout the Devastator as two more capital-class ships dropped out of hyperspace right alongside Vader's flagship.

Panicked comms officers desperately tried to send out distress beacons through the chaos ensuing. Admiral Fenrus shouted to the motionless Dark Lord observing the fight. "My lord the Allecto and Conquest have begun to target us!"

"Engage them Admiral. Dispatch all fighters and have our bombers target those Interdictors so we can jump to hyperspace," Vader commanded.

The viewport flickered as the deflector shields absorbed a turbolaser barrage straight across the bridge. "How are our shields holding?" Vader asked a flustered engineer.

"All shields are currently at 68% my lord. We can't take much more." Vader turned back to the transparisteel viewport and watched the cloud of TIE fighters launch from the Devastator's hangars and engage the incoming storm of starfighters obscuring one of the systems bright suns.

Vader looked down on his homeworld below swallowing his distaste. The Devastator lurched to the side as a Victory destroyer's ruined husk slammed into the aft side of the capital ship. "Critical damage to our aft turbolaser batteries. Our shields are holding at 37%."

Vader swept from the bridge. "You have command Admiral." Vader entered the lift showing no true hint of what was raging in his mind to the on looking crew. Fear.

The lift descended rapidly into the belly of the Star Destroyer. Vader raced through the corridors filled with seas of crew rushing about their battle stations torn between continuing what seemed to be a hopeless fight or evacuating. Vader threw himself behind cover as the Force screamed out a warning as a proton torpedo tore through the corridor ahead. Durasteel emplacements screeched in protest as the cold vacuum of space sucked out stormtroopers and pilots rushing towards the main hangar.

Vader's metal hand gripped the strut he was hiding behind tightly until the ray shields kicked in and blast doors sealed the corridor ahead of him. Vader turned back and headed for the smaller cargo bays hoping to find something to fly out of here.

The Devastator's power flickered once more as the shield generators failed. Admiral Fenrus's voice rang throughout the ship issuing orders to abandon ship. "All personnel abandon ship. I repeat all personnel abandon ship!"

Vader hurried towards the nearest cargo bay before he lost his way off the Devastator. Vader opened the malfunctioning doors with the Force and swept his cloak behind him walking towards the cargo ship with purpose. The cargo bay's crew was already boarding the ship. Vader could hear the shuttle's engines warming up to launch.

Vader gathered the Force in his legs and leapt across the hangar, rolling up the closing loading ramp and into the cargo ship. Stormtroopers and flight deck personnel quickly moved back to give the Dark Lord some space to rise. Vader passed them without a word and approached the cockpit, motioning for the shuttle's pilot to move aside.

He strapped into to the pilots chair and lifted the shuttle off the ground and coasted out of the cargo bay into the chaos awaiting them outside the hangar. TIE fighters veered off from finishing off the Devastator to engage the escape pods jettisoning from all over the Star Destroyer.

Vader jerked the yoke forward and dove sharply towards Tatooine's surface. The cargo shuttle groaned in protest. "Full power to thrusters," Vader ordered his co-pilot.

"My lord-"

"Do it. It's the only way we're making it out of this alive," he said gesturing towards the scanners already picking up fighters breaking off from the fight to pursue them. Laser fire flashed past the viewport from the TIE fighters closing in. "Get on those rear guns and give us some cover fire," Vader yelled over his shoulder.

A volley of lasers from a TIE interceptor clipped the right wing and jerked the shuttle to the right. A stormtrooper managed to land a hit on one of their pursuers and the TIE fighter vanished in a ball of fire colliding with one of its wingmates.

"Keep it up men," Vader called back to them. They were nearly about to break atmosphere now. Turbolaser streaks flashed past as the Star Destroyers began to target them now that the Devastator had split open like rotten fruit.

A shot caught them off the front of the shuttle and left a score in the hull. "We can't take much more of this my lord!"

"Allocate some power to the deflector shields. We're going to need in a minute when we break atmosphere," Vader ordered.

Another shot clipped the right wing and sheared off the stabilizer. The shuttle dropped to the right harshly and another well placed volley of shots tore off the left wing. The shuttle began to spin out of control as it plummeted towards the surface below. Vader tried his best to steer them away from the canyons below and towards the Dune Sea. "Prepare for impact!" he yelled out over the warning sirens.

The shuttle exploded through the top of a sand dune and burst through the center of another, coming to a halt after rolling down another. Vader slammed his head into the bulkhead and slipped into unconsciousness.

Vader awoke with a groan and unbuckled himself with bloodied hands. He was covered in cuts and bruises. His co-pilot however had not fared as well and had a piece of debris through his chest. Vader reached out with the Force for any signs of life within the shuttle and found none save him.

The loading ramp was already lowered and wind whipped through his hair matted with congealed blood. A few of the shuttle's passengers had made it out of the shuttle before succumbing to their wounds. Jawas were already sifting through some of the cargo and wreckage. Vader regarded them with disgust and lashed out with the Force sending a plasteel container careening into a group of them.

He let out his rage with a scream and ignited his crimson blade cutting down the closest Jawas to him. The survivors scurried away quickly towards their Sandcrawler waiting on the top of the ravine. Vader clenched his fist and snapped the necks of two trying to escape. He felt the surge of betrayal. His master had betrayed him. Only the Emperor could have ordered an attack like that.

Vader made it to the top of the sand dune and squinted through the desert suns bearing down on him at the settlement in the distance. It looked like a moisture farm. Vader clipped his lightsaber to his belt and trudged through the deep sand towards it.

He made it only halfway before his injured leg began to fail him. Vader seethed trying to use his fury to numb the pain enough to allow him to make it to safety. If any predators or Sand People found him at this rate he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. He saw a robed figure standing outside the home, looking down on the dunes below. "H-Help!" he called out weakly, trying to project his voice through the Force.

"Help me!" Vader bellowed with the last reserves of his energy and collapsed back into the sand. He hoped it had been enough.

Vader could feel someone approaching through the Force. The presence seemed distantly familiar. Vader lifted his head and glanced up at the cowled figure looking down at him.

" _Obi-wan_ ," Vader called out, reaching a hand for his old master before his consciousness slipped away once more.


	2. Old Friend

**Sand & Ruin**

 **«Chapter Two»**

 **Old Friend**

Obi-wan looked down on the unconscious form of his former apprentice and friend. With the Force, he summoned Anakin's new lightsaber into his hand and activated it, studying its crimson glow sadly. He had taken Anakin's old lightsaber on Mustafar after beating him in their duel. He couldn't bring himself to kill Anakin then and he likely couldn't now.

But there were other factors to weigh in now. Leia was safely out of his reach but Luke was here on Tatooine and there was no way of knowing whether Vader had discovered there existence or not. Or whether he had simply managed to track Obi-wan here somehow.

For whatever reason the Force worked in strange ways to bring the two of them face to face again. Obi-wan turned away and started up the dune to leave him there before turning back again to look down on Anakin's battered form. He couldn't leave him out here to die from dehydration or exposure. No matter the gravity of the crimes Anakin had committed.

Obi-wan gently reached under Anakin and slung his unconscious form over his shoulders, struggling to bear the weight as he moved through the sand towards his home on the ridge. He would decide what to do with him later.

Obi-wan could see a sandstorm rapidly closing in on the horizon and it only solidified his resolve to go through with saving the Sith Lord. Obi-wan locked the door to his home behind him and placed Anakin gently on the couch. With a vibroknife he cut away the shredded tunic down to his waist and began to clean the lacerations and cuts dotting Anakin's chest. Obi-wan wrapped them with bandages coated with a bacta salve underneath.

He went to work dressing Anakin's head wound as well. Obi-wan looked over his shoulder at the sound of pounding at the door. The storm had finally reached them and could last hours or even in some case days. They would simply have to wait it out.

Anakin began to move and Obi-wan quickly locked the Sith's lightsaber in his security chest. He turned back to face Vader and found him still unconscious but he was clearly dreaming. It was more a nightmare then anything.

Anakin reached out towards the ceiling to try to save something he could not reach. Obi-wan sat down in the chair opposite the couch and regarded him curiously. Anakin had mumbled something about Padme and the children. He kept on apologizing for failing them and for trusting Palpatine.

"Obi-wan!" he called out, "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me." The sheer despair in his voice tore at Obi-wan and he reached out and took his former apprentice's mechanical hand. He lowered the wall around their bond briefly to send comfort through it for a moment to ease Anakin's torment. _I'm here Anakin._

Anakin awoke with a start, blue eyes searching the room around him for any sign of danger. They met Obi-wans and just stared silently. Obi-wan released his hand and looked down on the injured Sith Lord impassively. "How did you find me?"

"I wasn't looking for you. My ship was pulled out of hyperspace and ambushed. I escaped with some of the crew and our shuttle crashed in the Dune Sea," Anakin replied simply.

"Who ambushed you?" Obi-wan pressed, a finger resting against his lips thoughtfully as he paced the room.

"Imperial forces," Anakin said, gazing up at his former master. He recalled the legend of Plagueis the Wise that Palpatine had shared with him at the opera house on Coruscant all those years ago. It was almost ironic. "I guess the legends that the Sith always betray one another are true," he finished with a grim smile.

Obi-wan looked down at Anakin sadly, "Was it worth it?" he asked him going over to get him some water.

"Was what worth it?" Anakin called after him.

"Throwing away everything you fought for. Your family and friends on an empty promise," Obi-wan continued, handing the glass to Anakin and taking the seat opposite to him once again.

Anakin turned his bandaged body towards him and winced from a lance of pain shooting through him. Blue eyes bore sadly into Obi-wan and he croaked out a simple answer. "No."

"I lost everything," Anakin continued, "Even you."

"If you're expecting pity you won't find any from me Anakin." Obi-wan looked down on him feeling a twinge of anger. "You condemned thousands of Jedi to die during the Purge."

"I know," Anakin replied, "Nothing I can say or do will ever change that. But I can stop the evil I've unleashed on the galaxy before it's too late."

"Lord Vader is going to take on the whole Empire by himself?" Obi-wan asked him. He gestured towards Anakin. "Look at the condition you're in. You're in no position to face Palpatine. You probably couldn't even fight off a womp rat."

Anakin glowered at Obi-wan sourly, "Why do you care?"

"I don't," Obi-wan replied harshly, heading for his room. "But if you're going to go on some suicide mission at least give yourself a fighting chance to do some damage before you off yourself."

Anakin stared at the door darkly, struggling to get to his feet. "Where is my lightsaber? I'm leaving."

"You're not going anywhere especially with that sandstorm raging out there. As for your lightsaber I hid it for your own protection. In case you decided to try anything stupid. Now lay back down and get some rest. Once the storm clears you're free to leave if you like." Obi-wan sealed the door to his quarters behind him and began to meditate.

Force help me. He emptied himself of all the emotions that had started to rise in him from his conversation with Vader. "There is no emotion. There is peace," he muttered to himself softly.

 _-17 BBY Space over Tatooine: Imperial Blockade-_

Emperor Palpatine's image flickered into view over the holoprojector regarding the fleet commander coldly, "Has Lord Vader been dealt with?" he demanded impatiently.

"The Devastator and its traitorous crew have been destroyed Your Excellency," the fleet commander answered bowing before the Emperor.

"Yet I still sense Vader survived the attack." Palpatine said, pointing an accusing finger at the fleet commander. "I thought I made it clear that I wanted no survivors or witnesses."

"Y-Your Majesty all escape pods and registered fighter craft were destroyed in the ambush."

A comms officer stepped forward behind the commander bowing to Palpatine's holoimage. The Emperor gestured for the ensign to rise. "You have something to report?" Palpatine demanded.

"A cargo shuttle was reported to be shot down in atmosphere above Tatooine. It's possible Lord Vader was among the crew on board," the ensign informed him.

"Have we dispatched anyone to search for survivors?" Palpatine queried the commander.

"N-No. We sent fighters to search for the crash site but they were forced to return due to a massive sandstorm. All probe droids dispatched have been destroyed or malfunctioned as well," the commander replied nervously.

"You will use every resource at your disposal to kill Lord Vader and bring me proof of his demise or you will answer to me personally on Coruscant commander."

Obi-wan opened his eyes from his meditative trance at the feeling of a familiar presence. _Master?_

Qui-Gon's Force Apparition was seated on a ledge looking down at him with a sad smile. " _Hello Obi-wan. It's been a long time old friend."_

"I don't know what to do," Obi-wan said looking towards the shut door. He could feel Anakin still there on the couch. He'd been sleeping for hours. "He's inflicted so much pain on the galaxy."

" _You must learn to trust Anakin again. It will be difficult. But you must find it in yourself to do this. He's the Chosen One. No matter what he's done he is still the one that will rid the galaxy of the coming darkness."_ Qui-Gon placed a comforting hand on Obi-wan's shoulder. He wished he could feel the warmth of it but he could feel nothing only his presence through the Force.

Obi-wan swallowed the lump in his throat. He was so conflicted over the love he still felt for the boy he had trained. The Jedi Knight he had fought alongside with in the Clone Wars. Yet, the man lying on his couch was but a husk of the Jedi he had known seduced to the Dark Side by the one that had orchestrated the Republic's downfall.

He had seen the security holos of the devastation Anakin had wrought at the Jedi temple. He could feel the pain through the Force and terror of the billions of beings being subjugated by the Empire Anakin had helped to build. His apprentice had become a pawn in the Sith's game all for the sake of love for the woman he had unwittingly killed.

Yoda had warned him so long ago about the darkness in him. He had ignored all the signs and all of the warnings the Force had given him because of the sheer love he felt for Anakin but all that remained of that love was a void of pain.

" _Trust in the Force Obi-wan. Trust in Anakin. He can still save us all."_

Obi-wan turned to find himself alone once more. With a sigh, Obi-wan opened the door to his chambers with a wave of two fingers and walked towards the kitchen sparing a glance towards Anakin's still sleeping form.

He prepared two quick-meals for them and sat one on the table next to Anakin waking his sleeping form with a nudge. "Eat," he said simply, gesturing to the quick-meal and began to work on eating his own silently.

Anakin sat up and ate his own, watching Obi-wan carefully. Obi-wan met his gaze a few times and then got up to clear his plate wordlessly. Obi-wan returned to take Anakin's from him. Anakin mumbled a quiet thank you.

Obi-wan nodded and wiped off the stone plates before depositing them back on a shelf. He returned to the chair and sat down with a sigh. "Still having nightmares?" he asked sincerely.

Anakin nodded clearly still haunted by the demons that followed him. He largely had himself to blame for most of them. Obi-wan reached out through the Force leaving an aura of calm around him. "If you would just meditate before you sleep you probably wouldn't have them. You need to empty your mind."

"You know I hate meditating Obi-wan," he said with a laugh, his hand grabbing his bruised ribs in reaction to the pain.

Obi-wan returned a small smile at that. It surprised him how much he had missed that laugh. "Just try it." Anakin mumbled something under his breath before sliding off the couch onto the floor and took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Obi-wan knelt down in front of him and surrendered himself to the Force.

He could feel the smallest of organisms scurrying in the sand for cover outside his home. We are but small cogs in a much greater machine. Obi-wan could feel Anakin opening their bond and reluctantly he lowered the ward once more around his side of the connection and let the Force flow through undisturbed. All the hatred, guilt, regret, and pain surged into the bond from Anakin's side of the connection and Obi-wan's immense sadness, guilt, and mourning poured through into Anakin.

He wanted his former apprentice to feel the weight of what he had done. Obi-wan knew he carried that burden around on his shoulders every day but perhaps from his perspective it would really help Anakin begin his long winding path to redemption. As much as he could be at least.

Anakin opened his eyes and rose placing a hand on Obi-wan's shoulders removing it as Obi-wan flinched away from the touch. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Obi-wan said rising. He walked over to the security chest and picked up the bantha fur blanket beside it and draped it around Anakin who was still sitting on the floor. "Good night Anakin."


	3. Destinations

**Sand & Ruin**

 **«Chapter Three»**

 **Destinations**

 _-Three Days Later-_

Anakin awoke wrapped tightly in the bantha fur blanket. He could feel a layer of sweat coating his torso and struggled to free himself from the thick fur prison cooking him alive. Anakin rolled off the couch onto the floor finally free and peered out one of the house's few windows at the twin suns hanging high overhead.

He hadn't missed this forsaken planet much. Luckily the storm had finally subsided. It was one of the longest Anakin could remember from when he had grown up here. It had bought him time to recover though. He knew Palpatine would dispatch every resource to hunt him down once the storm had subsided.

Anakin stepped into the refresher and peeled away the bandages covering his wounds. Most of them had healed save for the serious cut across his forehead. He would rewrap that one later. Anakin pulled off his boots and hooked his two thumbs into the waistband of his ruined tunic let it fall to the floor. Anakin ran his hand over the two scars on his right shoulder and the left side of his chest left by Obi-wan's lightsaber on Mustafar thoughtfully before activating the shower module.

The door to the refresher opened behind him and Obi-wan handed him some new clothes paying no attention to his former apprentice's state of undress. Anakin felt his cheeks flush a little and took the clothes mumbling a quiet thank you before Obi-wan left the small room.

Anakin set the module to sanisteam to not use all their water for the day and cleaned the sand and grim off of him. Once he was satisfied, he stepped out and deactivated the module. Anakin pulled on the matching gray leggings and tunic and clipped his equipment belt around him before pulling his boots back on. He returned to the mirror and ran his mechanical fingers through his hair, pushing the mane of hair he had been growing to the side.

Anakin left the refresher and glanced around the small house for any sign of Obi-wan. He reached out with the Force and felt him outside. He could hear a pair of voices outside as well. Stormtroopers from the sound of it. Anakin tensed and stood by the door, watching the exchange carefully from the window. Obi-wan seemed completely calm. "Could I see some identification to verify your true identity?" the captain asked.

"Of course. It's no problem," Obi-wan responded, producing falsified documents.

"Everything checks out. We still need to search your home. There's a fugitive of the Empire believed to be in this area," the other trooper said to Obi-wan.

Obi-wan gestured towards the house, "I've nothing to hide," he said confidently. The stormtroopers entered the house with scanning equipment at the ready to search for any hiding places. The troopers passed Anakin's alcove and searched the rest of the house first before returning to the main living space. Obi-wan stared at him confidently even though he was in plain sight as the troopers returned.

"Who's this?" one of them demanded. "You didn't say anyone was inside the house. I'm going to need to see his identification as well-"

Both troopers' hands went to their throats as their airways closed. Anakin's grip through the Force tightened as he stared at them intently.

"Anakin stop!" Obi-wan shouted at him, "If they don't report back to their commanders. More of them will come for you."

Anakin released his hold on the stormtroopers reluctantly. Obi-wan moved quickly and used the Force to make them forget what just transpired and ordered them to return to their commander.

"Stay out of trouble citizens," one of them said, "Contact the authorities if you spot anything suspicious," the other said before they left Obi-wans house and got on their speeder bikes.

Anakin watched them zip away back towards Mos Eisley. "You need to control your anger or you'll be right back where you started," Obi-wan chided him. "I'm really trying to trust you again. It's going to take a while but I'm trying. But I need you to stop using the dark side before you corrupt yourself any further than you already have."

"I'll try," Anakin replied, avoiding his old master's reproachful gaze. "Keep in mind that four Jedi Masters were defeated by Sidious and even Grand Master Yoda couldn't beat him in a duel. We're going to need every bit of help we can get to destroy him."

Obi-wan let sink in for a moment. "When we face Sidious you may use whatever he's taught you. Until then, you will not put yourself at risk to being consumed by the darkness again."

"As you wish." Anakin couldn't help the smile that crossed his features, "Does that mean you're coming with me?"

Obi-wan looked out the window at the sprawling mesa in front of the house. "I suppose it does. I can't let you face him alone." _I can't lose you again._ "Tomorrow we'll go to Mos Eisley and look for a ship that can get us out of here. There are some people who may be willing to help us."

Obi-wan pointed towards his security chest with an outstretched hand and unlocked it with the Force summoning the two lightsabers stashed inside. He held one in each hand and held them out for Anakin to make his choice. "What you decide to do from this point on will affect the galaxy and the balance of the Force in ways you can't possibly imagine my friend."

Anakin considered this and reached for his original lightsaber he had built as a Jedi Knight. His gloved hand hovered over it for a moment before he took both. "All of my choices have led me to this point. Good or bad they have affected the galaxy around me and it would foolish to try to forget the things that I have done. The crimes I have committed in the name of the Empire. It would dishonor those who lost their lives at the hand of Darth Vader to pretend that side of me never existed in the first place."

"Wise words. I would counsel you to hold onto that part of you. Let it be a constant reminder of the dangers of the dark side. As much as you have a penchant for disregarding the Jedi Code, there is profound wisdom there Anakin." Obi-wan told him placing a hand on his shoulder.

Anakin placed a hand over Obi-wan's. "I will Master."

Obi-wan withdrew his hand and stepped back, glancing at the twin suns vanishing behind the distant mesas. "We should get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Obi-wan withdrew to his quarters and stared at the ceiling sadly. _Trust in the Force Obi-wan. Trust in him._

"I'm trying," Obi-wan murmured, burying his face in the pillows.

 _-Next Day: Mos Eisley-_

Obi-wan and Anakin moved through the crowded market with their cowls pulled low to obscure their features from any prying eyes. Mos Eisley Spaceport was still a few blocks away under the watchful eye of a Star Destroyer overhead.

"The Emperor must really want you dead," Obi-wan muttered to Anakin watching the squadron of TIE fighters do a pass over the city. A few platoons of stormtroopers passed by in the streets. Anakin and Obi-wan took to the many alleys and shortcuts to avoid them. Two AT-STs guarded the entrance to the spaceport accompanied by a checkpoint.

"You have no idea," Anakin laughed.

Obi-wan scanned the area for any other way into the spaceport. They could scale the walls but not likely without being spotted. There was no way he or Anakin would make it through the checkpoint either. That left only one other way inside.

"We're going to have stash ourselves away in a cargo shipment," Anakin and Obi-wan said in unison.

Anakin dropped from the rooftop in a crouch and grabbed two stormtroopers by the neck and slammed their helmets together knocking them out cold. Obi-wan shook his head and leapt after his old apprentice rolling with the impact and jumped back to his feet.

Obi-wan scanned the empty street for any sign of danger and found nothing of concern. It was almost too quiet. A few locals moved from place to place headed for the local cantina. Obi-wan spotted a few stormtroopers up ahead with a protocol droid checking over a shipment loaded up on a hoversled. Obi-Anakin was already on the move. He grabbed an ion grenade from one of the unconscious stormtroopers and tossed it into an alley after priming it.

He grabbed Obi-wan's hand and pulled him down another street and moved through alley after alley until they came back to the street with the cargo shipment. The ion grenade went off and caught the squadron's attention. Obi-wan waited until the protocol droid was facing the other direction before he and Anakin sprinted to the hoversled. Obi-wan unlocked one of the durasteel containers with the Force and stowed himself and Anakin inside. They waited a few minutes before the stormtroopers returned to their posts.

One of the stormtroopers was complaining about the locals causing trouble for the garrison again. "Everything checks out. Let's get this shipment to the spaceport," the captain said activating the hoversled and signaling for the squadron to move out.

Anakin bumped into Obi-wan as the hoversled lurched forward and began to glide down the street towards the checkpoint a few blocks away. They didn't have to wait long to pass under the AT-STs ever watchful gaze. "Clearance codes," the checkpoints commanding officer demanded of the platoon. The squad leader handed over a data pad containing all the necessary codes.

The commanding officer waved the hoversled through the checkpoint and handed the data pad back to the stormtrooper. "Take it to Hanger 4A."

"Yes sir." The stormtrooper echoed in response. Obi-wan tensed for a moment as the hoversled came to a stop. Perhaps a scanner had picked up odd vital signs coming from the shipment. Obi-wan let out a sigh of relief as the hoversled descended on a lift into a cargo hangar. Obi-wan waited until droids had carried their container aboard before kicking open the side of the crate.

Anakin spilled out after him getting to his feet and looking for any sign of the light cruiser's crew. Obi-wan moved through the cargo hold cautiously. Reaching out with the Force he detected the only signs of life in the cruiser's cockpit. Anakin had likely sensed as much as well as he made his way to the front of the ship. With a wave of both hands the pilot and co-pilot flew out of their chairs and struck the bulkhead behind Anakin. Anakin gestured again lazily with one hand and hurled them down the corridor. Obi-wan

Obi-wan shook his head and took his seat adjacent to Anakin in the co-pilots chair. He quickly strapped himself in. He knew Anakin's method of piloting enough to know he needed to be. Anakin lifted the landing gear and guided the cruiser out of the hangar and up and away from Mos Eisley. The cruiser broke through the upper layers of Tatooine's atmosphere momentarily and prepped for the jump to hyperspace.

"Where to?" Anakin asked Obi-wan.

"Alderaan."

 **A/N: Hello all. I hope you're enjoying Sand and Ruin so far. I'm going to try to update this fic as much as possible. I've been working on this idea and now I've finally been able to get it down some drafts good enough that I wanted to upload them. I'm going to try to get another chapter done either today or tomorrow. Please review and tell me what you think.**

 **If you haven't realized yet this is going to be an AniObi or Obikin fic whichever ship name you prefer. I will be posting this fic on Ao3 as well soon and it will have slightly different content than the one on this site as we get much further ahead into the story. This is going to be my first slow burner fic so we'll see how long my patience holds out.**


	4. Rebel

**Sand & Ruin**

 **Chapter Four**

 **Rebel**

 _-17 BBY Alderaan-_

"Imperial cargo ship. You are not scheduled to arrive on our flight logs," AFC called out through their comm channel.

Anakin opened the channel from their end. "Acknowledged flight control. Our hyperdrive and coolant systems are malfunctioning forcing us to pull out of hyperspace. Requesting permission to land for repairs."

"Permission granted. You are to proceed to the designated landing pad we've indicated on your manifest. Prepare for inspection upon your arrival."

"Copy that flight control." Anakin replied closing the open comm channel. Obi-wan activated the commlink on his wrist. "Bail I've arrived on Alderaan in an Imperial cargo ship. I have someone with me that some of your guards may not take kindly too."

"That seems ominous Master Kenobi," Bail's voice called out through the commlink.

"All will be revealed Senator." Obi-wan could feel Anakin's intense stare. He met those blue eyes and put a hand on his shoulder, rising from the co-pilot's chair. "What did you expect me to say Anakin? Don't be alarmed if the Emperor's right hand walks off the light cruiser."

"Yes. That's exactly what you should have said Obi-wan," Anakin replied exasperated. He brought the ship down gently and unstrapped himself from the pilot's seat.

The local security force was waiting for them as they walked down the ramp. Bail pushed past them to greet Obi-wan. "Master Kenobi it's been a long time."

"Too long Senator Organa," he replied, walking down the ramp towards the welcoming party. Anakin hung back in the shadows waiting to reveal himself.

"Where's this guest of yours Obi-wan?" Bail asked, glancing up at the cruiser curiously, "I thought you brought the Emperor with you judging by your cryptic message."

Obi-wan chuckled darkly. "Good guess." A pair of black boots descended from the belly of the cruiser and Anakin pulled down his hood to reveal himself.

"Lord Vader…what an expected surprise," Bail said uneasily.

"Anakin will do," he replied. "Lord Vader is a traitor to the Empire or haven't you heard."

"I had. It would seem rumors of your demise were not as true as the Emperor would have us believe." Anakin stopped beside Obi-wan with a thin smile. He could sense the Senator's distaste for him. He didn't blame him for that sentiment much.

"Well regardless you are welcome on Alderaan," Bail proclaimed, gesturing for them to follow them towards the taxi that would take them to the palace.

Obi-wan walked with Bail sensing the Senator's misgivings about Anakin being present. He made sure his former apprentice was a good distance behind them before he began to speak. "You have nothing to worry about. He doesn't know his children survived."

"Are you going to tell him?" Bail inquired, clearly concerned for Leia.

"When the time is right," Obi-wan answered simply, "The Force surrounds us all Senator. He will restore balance to the galaxy as was prophesized long ago."

"You place too much faith in the man that destroyed your Order." Bail turned to make sure Anakin and the rest of his entourage were still with them once they reached the air taxi.

"Someone has to," Obi-wan sighed, he gazed at his former apprentice longing for the days where it was so much simpler to find themselves repelling a Separatist invasion on some distant Outer Rim world or escaping their executions on Geonosis.

Anakin gave his old master a puzzled look when he met Obi-wan's gaze. "Is something wrong?" he asked him softly as they took their seats.

Obi-wan looked down at the sprawling snow-capped mountain ranges dotting the planet's surface far below the peak where the planet's capital was located. It had been a long time since Obi-wan had been here. He'd forgotten just why the world was known as the planet of beauty.

A pack of wild thranta soared past the taxi heading for their nesting grounds on the cliffs of a nearby mountain. They were breathtaking to behold and he remembered the first time he had brought Anakin here when he was still his Padawan on a diplomatic mission before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Anakin had demanded to ride one of the thranta while they were there.

Instead of riding a tamed one he snuck off into the wilds and tried to tame one himself. He had nearly died three times during the ordeal and Obi-wan remembered scolding him and confining him to the palace grounds for the rest of their stay. Not even that had managed to sour the boy's mood.

Obi-wan spared a glance at him to see him watching the thranta as well. His faint smile confirmed that he was remembering the same memory as well.

The taxi touched down in the entrance plaza of the palace and Queen Breha and other high nobles and diplomats were awaiting their arrival. Bail walked over to his wife and regent and fell in by her side. The Queen greeted Obi-wan warmly and took in Anakin and nodded to him respectfully, "We're pleased to have you here my lord."

"The honor is mine Your Majesty. I'd forgotten how beautiful Alderaan is and please there's no need to use my former title. The Emperor has seen to that," Anakin replied graciously. Anakin surveyed the crowd and reached out with the Force pressing against the minds of those present. He trusted the Queen and Bail but the Emperor had placed spies everywhere in those he suspected of opposing him. Alderaan was very vocal in their opposition to some of the Empire's methods and policies.

Anakin knew they couldn't stay long before the Emperor's agents tracked their stolen cruiser here. Queen Breha seemed to see the former Jedi's unease plainly on his features. She beckoned for them to follow her and Bail and gave the order for the other rabble to disperse. "I assure you that you are safe from the Empire here Master Skywalker."

"Anakin will do," Anakin said, flinching unintentionally at the mention of that honorary title bestowed to most Jedi. He didn't deserve to bear that title and he doubted that nothing he did could redeem himself enough to bear it. "I appreciate your protection Your Grace but I don't wish to place the people of Alderaan in danger for harboring me from the Empire."

"As far as most of the Empire knows you are dead Anakin," she said taking note of his discomfort. "However the Emperor keeps a close eye on those of us that dare to voice our opinions in the Imperial Senate. Especially with whispers of rebellion circulating the Senate floor. The louder voices on the floor were silenced and the worlds subjugated by yourself as you well know."

"Yes," Anakin said irritably taking the jab at him, "Which is why we won't impose on your hospitality for too long."

"Where will you be going?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know that yet," he answered honestly. Obi-wan watched the exchange with mild interest. He hadn't expected their arrival to go so smoothly. He could feel how tense Anakin was as they moved deeper into the palace. It was almost concerning how much his former apprentice expected some sort of trap. He must have tasked Imperial Intelligence with seeding spies into the ranks of the elite to watch the royal family's movements and guests.

"Perhaps we could be of some assistance with that," Bail suggested. His arm linked with his wife's. "There is a like-minded friend that would like to meet the both of you. Mostly Obi-wan but I'm sure they could use the extra lightsaber if you were to accompany him."

"What kind of friend?" Anakin asked already knowing the answer to the question. Whispers of a coalition of insurgents dedicated to restoring the Old Republic had reached his ears. They were becoming bolder and bolder with each passing month. The Emperor had paid little attention to their growing threat until a Rebel fleet had sabotaged the Kuat Drive Yards and the Star Destroyer _Tyranny_. The theft of the X-wing prototype had been the final straw before the Emperor called a meeting of the joint-chiefs.

Vader had been present at the time and the Emperor's fury had been a sight to behold. He had condemned the Fresian scientists that had leaked intelligence of the prototype to the Rebel Alliance to die in the spice mines on Kessel for their treason. The Empire meanwhile had been forced to stay with the TIE models from Sienar.

"There is a group of dissidents seeking to restore the Old Republic backed by some former Senators and veterans of the Clone Wars," Breha continued, "They call themselves the Rebel Alliance." She stopped once they reached the veranda overlooking the valley below.

"Who is your contact in the Alliance?" Anakin inquired. Breha hesitated, "Discretion is the key to ensure the Alliance's survival Anakin. I'm sure you understand. With your help the Alliance can help countless worlds in need of assistance from the harsh rule of the Empire."

Bail nodded in agreement, "Two Jedi standing behind the Alliance will definitely be a sight to behold."

"Have you ever considered that the Emperor allowed the Alliance to survive simply because he didn't consider it a threat until now? If he learned that two Jedi had joined he would bring the full might of the Empire down on whatever world was harboring the Alliance," Anakin replied, pacing in circles around Obi-wan.

"He has a point Your Majesty," Obi-wan said, finally joining the conversation.

"It's a worth I'm sure our friends have considered and taken measures to conceal the whereabouts of their bases." Breha tapped the marble railing impatiently with a finger. "I see you two have a lot to think about so feel free to take the night to think about it and we'll speak on this in the morning my friends. Now if you'll excuse me I need to check on the baby."

"Congratulations are in order," Anakin said to Bail with a smile.

"She's a beautiful baby and already looks so much like her mother," he answered with a forced smile. "She'll make a benevolent ruler one day."

Obi-wan cut the conversation short before it proceeded any further. "I'm a bit tired from our travels. Perhaps we could retire to our quarters for the night. I'm not as young as I used to be," he joked. Bail saw the way out Obi-wan had provided.

"Of course. I'll take you to them right away." Two guards were standing outside a tower separate from the main structure of the palace. It was the same building they had stayed in many years ago when he had brought Anakin to Alderaan for part of his training.

"If you need anything just ask," Bail said leaving them at the doors. He headed back to the palace as the sun began to drop behind the distant mountains.

Obi-wan stepped into the lift that would take them to the top of the tower holding the door for Anakin and the pair ascended in silence. When the doors opened they entered their quarters and Anakin confronted Obi-wan, "What should we do?"

"We should join them we can't hope to take on the Empire alone. We need all the help we can get if we're going to ever hope to reach the Emperor," Obi-wan said.

"We can take him out on our own. I know the Palace like the back of my hand. If we strike now-" Anakin began before Obi-wan held up a hand to stop him.

"That's exactly what he will expect you to do. Patience was never a strong suit of yours my friend. He will expect you to rush to Coruscant and make an attempt on his life," Obi-wan replied, "Let's just hear out what these Rebels have to say."

"They are headed down a path to widespread civil war if they continue their militant ways," Anakin protested. "The galaxy can't survive another Clone Wars. You have no idea what the Empire is capable of what the Emperor has in motion." Anakin began to circle the room again.

Obi-wan could sense the fear in Anakin. "What has gotten into you?" he demanded gently. The last thing he wanted was for Anakin to close himself off.

"There is a project in the works. It has been being developed secretly since before the rise of the Empire. The Senate just approved funding for what they believe is an energy project. They also approved a large allocation of money towards the construction of what they believe is a planetary ore extractor according to Imperial propaganda," Anakin began. "All over the galaxy scientists and researchers are disappearing and old Jedi temples and lightsabers are being rounded up and plundered for their collections of kyber crystals."

"What would they need kyber crystals for? Their only use is to power our lightsabers."

Anakin shook his head, "A team of researchers has found a way to amplify the crystals' power. It was originally intended to produce power for an entire planet. The Empire has decided to take this research and weaponize it. This project is extremely classified and only the Emperor's closest advisors and the highest members of Imperial Command know its true intentions."

Obi-wan waited for Anakin to continue watching the former Jedi pace the room, "It is a planetkiller. They call it the Death Star. The first stages of construction have already begun. Even I don't know the location of the work site."

Obi-wan sank into the couch behind staring off outside the viewport at the distant stars. The Empire would use a weapon to intimidate countless systems into submission and the Emperor's control over the galaxy would be absolute. They would have to find a way to destroy it.

"We have to warn the Alliance then. We need to help them prepare for the storm that is coming. They need us Anakin. Now more than ever," Obi-wan pleaded.

Anakin fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, "You're right." He collapsed on the couch next to Obi-wan and rested his head on his leg looking up at his former Master. "Why is that we're always at the center of everything?"

"My friend it is usually _you_ that is the cause of everything. I just get roped along with you," Obi-wan replied with a laugh. He glanced outside the large window again at the thranta soaring within the moonlight. "Do you remember when I brought you here as a Padawan?" he asked Anakin quietly.

"Of course," Anakin crowed proudly, "I tamed my own Thranta and nearly fell to my death. How could I forget?"

"You were always headstrong and independent. It's what made you such a difficult student. You didn't even care that you were in so much trouble for that stunt. You were just proud that you had pulled it off. There never was anything that you couldn't learn to fly. You have a gift for that," Obi-wan said softly gazing down at Anakin.

Anakin titled his head back to meet Obi-wan's eyes, "You had a gift for always knowing when to show up to get me out of trouble," he replied with a grin.

A sad smile crossed Obi-wan's features. "Not always. I wasn't there to save you or to stop Palpatine. I was trapped on the other side of the galaxy fighting a shadow war created by a Sith with no end to his ambition."

"You can't blame yourself for the Purge. That's on me and Sidious," Anakin said seriously, sitting up now. "I will never be able to atone for all the people I've hurt or killed."

Obi-wan knew he was right but he still couldn't help but feel a little survivor's guilt. "When freedom is restored to the galaxy and balance is returned to the Force you can let go of some of that burden you carry Anakin. I know you better than anyone. You will defeat the Empire and Palpatine. I believe in you."

Anakin gave only a thin smile in reply rising from the couch. "We should get some rest. We need to leave a little after sunrise before the Empire comes calling for us."

 _-17 BBY, Several Days Later: Dantooine-_

The Corellian corvette Bail and Breha had supplied them with dropped out of hyperspace above Dantooine. Somewhere below on the planet's largely uninhabited surface was the location of a Rebel base. They had gone to great lengths to make sure they hadn't been followed from Alderaan. Anakin had made several short jumps to various systems before they had finally arrived at Dantooine.

The corvette broke through the planet's atmosphere smoothly and Anakin steered the vessel away from the settlements and towards the grasslands towards where the beacon was emanating from. The ship touched down on a makeshift landing strip outside where the rebels had taken up residence in an abandoned mining complex.

Men raced to through a camouflaging net over the corvette to obscure it from being picked up by any scanners or satellites flying overhead. Two squadrons of X-wings were similarly covered as well as a contingent of Y-wings. A few transports were safely stowed inside a warehouse turned into a hangar.

"Welcome to Dantooine, Master Jedi," a voice called out behind them. The Chandrilian senator approached with her own entourage of fellow political dissidents from the Imperial Senate.

The soldiers with her watched Anakin intently. Obi-wan stepped in front of him before they tried anything stupid. "He's on our side now. If you really want to restore the Old Republic he's the best chance you've got at that."

"I agree with you completely Master Kenobi," Mon Mothma said regarding the Emperor's former enforcer with curiosity. "I believe Anakin Skywalker will prove most useful to the Alliance and our efforts to end the Empire's tyranny."

Anakin watched her cautiously. He distrusted all manner of politicians now. She would be a fool to trust him so easily. He doubted she trusted him at all. He was a tool at her disposal to be used to further her agenda. An agenda with good intentions but a political platform to stand on when this war they were steering towards was finally over. He had no doubt she would be the New Republic's choice for Chancellor.

"If you would be so gracious as to follow me I'm sure there are others at this security briefing that would like to meet you," she continued heading for the central mining complex. "We are discussing our next target and perhaps you could weigh in on it Master Skywalker."

"Please, you can call me Anakin."

Mon Mothma dipped her head respectfully towards him. "Of course my apologies."

A massive circular table in the center of the room was surrounded by all manner of politicians, veterans, pilots, and operatives. "Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you Master Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." Most of the room turned to look at the latter name but Obi-wan took no offense to it.

Anakin stood silently beside Obi-wan watching the whole room shout at each other. The sounds of liberty and democracy. Obi-wan let out a sigh likely sharing Anakin's sentiment about the situation. They had their work cut out for them.

 _-17 BBY, Coruscant: Imperial Palace-_

" _Mara."_

Emerald eyes snapped opened and the red-haired girl rose from her studies. The Emperor was summoning her. Mara passed through the halls of the palace in her black flight suit unopposed by any of the Imperial Guard. It was still too early for any dignitaries to be moving about the Palace but she knew those that caught glimpses of her had made her the source of rumors.

She was the Hand of the Emperor. She had passed every trial and every test her Master had thrown her way. She could tell by the urgency of his summons through their telepathic link that he had a mission of importance for her.

She entered the throne room and found it empty save for a few of the Imperial Guard and Vizier Mas Amedda beside Emperor Palpatine. She knelt before them respectfully, "You summoned me, my master," Mara said glancing up at Palpatine.

"Yes. I have a task for you my dear. It marks the start of your training as my apprentice," Palpatine said with a twisted smile from beneath his cowl. "You are to join the Rebellion and provide me with the names of their leaders and any Imperial sympathizers."

"Do you want to me to execute them in your name?" Mara asked, placing a hand on the hilt of her lightsaber.

"No. I will dispatch Imperial forces to handle the Rebellion. I want their annihilation to be shown across the galaxy to remind those who threaten the peace of the Empire," Palpatine said, rising from his throne. "There is one more thing you must do for me if you are to take your rightful place at my side."

"Anything," Mara replied confidently, "It shall be done."

"You will kill Anakin Skywalker."

 **A/N: Let me know how y'all felt about this chapter. It was a longer one cause there was a lot of ground to cover. And a lot of dialogue which is why I did the time jump to Dantooine. Sorry if that was confusing or awkward to read I just got tired of Alderaan for the time being.**

 **We're starting to see a lot more trust and affection between Anakin and Obi-wan. It won't be long before we see their old dynamic during the Clone Wars as they begin to actively take part of Rebel strikes. Next chapter will be coming soon. Also I won't be updating as frequently as I have been. I just have a lot of inspiration and free time right now.**


	5. Assassin

**Sand & Ruin**

 **Chapter Five**

 **Assassin**

 _-15 BBY, Shola: Rebel Base-_

 _You will kill Anakin Skywalker._

Her Master's voice seemed to echo out from across the stars. It hadn't been the first time she'd received a mandate from the Emperor through their telepathic link but it had been the first of such importance. She'd killed before and before this planet's rotation she would again.

Mara moved through the bustling rebel base unhindered. She'd been recruited as a slicer and an A-wing pilot. She'd already flown several escort missions for the Rebellion and played her part well. She'd failed to get close enough to Anakin to strike however. Wherever he went Obi-wan always seemed to follow and vice versa.

Mara had tried to sabotage Anakin's X-wing a couple of weeks back but his astromech droid had angrily interrupted her insisting it could repair its own fighter. It would have been simple enough. Skywalker would have been killed and it would have looked like an accident.

Mara slung the DC-15x over her shoulder and made her way through a stairwell to the observation tower at the height of the old mining facility being repurposed into Phoenix Base. She knelt down and placed the rifle between the two bars of the safety railing and peered through the scope highlighting her target's thermal signature below. The holographic crosshairs inched closer to the side of his head. A heat wave blasted up from the magma river below and overloaded her scope's thermal vision momentarily.

 _Just a little closer._

Anakin came to a stop at the edge of the catwalk overlooking the river rushing by far below. It was a grim reminder of what had transpired on Mustafar. The doors behind Anakin parted and Obi-wan stepped out of the base silently. He could sense what was on Anakin's mind.

"We're just going to have to learn to forgive each other for what we did," Obi-wan said quietly. He'd seen the scars all over Anakin from the wounds he'd left him there with after Anakin would wake him with his nightmares. They'd been getting worse since the Rebel leadership had dispatched them here. It wouldn't be long before they got to put this blasted world behind them.

"I forgave you a long time ago old friend," Anakin replied with a faint smile.

Obi-wan had nothing to say to that. He'd been working hard to rebuild the friendship they'd had over the last two years they'd been fighting together in the Alliance. It was just like back during the Clone Wars when things were so much simpler but there always seemed to be something missing.

Mara sighed impatiently waiting for Obi-wan to move forward so she could get off a clear shot. Her finger hovered over the trigger. Her anticipation was almost palpable she was so close to finishing her mission and return to her Master. She'd spent two years working her way through the ranks of the Alliance by forging false friendships. She was eager to put it all behind her. Mainly all of the inhospitable worlds the Alliance seemed to call home.

Obi-wan stepped to the side to lean against the railing and face him. "I'm really trying to forgive you."

"I know," Anakin replied placing his gloved hand on top of Obi-wan's reassuringly. "I wouldn't blame if you never do. Just always be there to have my back."

Obi-wan met his former apprentice's gaze. "Always."

The crosshairs on her scope blinked when she had a lock and she squeezed the trigger with her index finger. Anakin opened his mouth to say something else but removed his hand from Obi-wan's and reached out with the Force to absorb a blaster bolt into the palm of his hand with the Force. The Force screamed with danger as Obi-wan whirled, reaching for his lightsaber.

A second bolt caught him in the chest. Anakin let out a horrible scream and knelt down beside him. He could feel the Force swirling darkly around their attacker from the observation tower about a click out. Anakin placed two fingers on Obi-wan's neck and found his pulse. He was still with him. Anakin rose and gathered the Force around him with both hands he pointed at the observation tower and the supports holding the old structure up imploded bringing the tower down with a terrible screeching sound.

Anakin returned to Obi-wan's side and knelt down to pick him up. He moved through the base and sprinted to medical, clutching him tightly to his chest. "Stay with me." _Don't leave me._

Anakin opened the doors to the medical wing with the Force impatiently and set him down in an empty bed. "We need help over here he's been shot!"

A few medical droids and officers scurried over and went to work on him cutting away his tunic and examining the blaster wound. A droid started calling out his vitals. His breathing was shallow but stable. "It looks like he's sustained minimal damage to his left lung. The shot missed his heart by a miracle but he's in critical condition. We're going to have to submerge him in bacta."

Anakin tried to help but the chief medical officer waved him off, "Let us do our jobs Anakin. You go find whoever did this."

Anakin backed away from the staff operating on Obi-wan reluctantly and raced out of the room back to the other side of the base. People were already surrounding the tower trying to find out what happened. Anakin pushed through the crowd and closed his eyes reaching out with the Force to search the rubble. He found no life signs save for the nosy crowd. The assassin was either dead or had escaped. His credits were on the latter.

"Have we detected any ships leaving the system?" he demanded of a communications analyst that had wandered outside to see the commotion.

"None so far General," the officer reported, "I'll send word to you the moment anything changes."

"Excellent. Begin to prepare for evacuation. We need to move on to the next system before the Empire arrives. One of their operatives just attempted to kill me," Anakin ordered.

The analyst nodded and hurried off back inside the old mining facility. Anakin glanced around the crowd, not noticing the red-haired girl lurking behind a stack of durasteel munitions crates.

Mara glared darkly at Anakin. She'd failed to kill him and now he'd be on her guard. Her only hope now was to strike before the other Jedi could help him. Mara had underestimated the power in the Force Skywalker possessed. It would be a hard fought battle but the dark side was her ally.

Mara quickly minimized her presence in the Force as Anakin headed her way back inside the base. She had to find a way to isolate herself while the rebels began to evacuate. She slipped into an empty storage room and reached out across the galaxy through her link.

 _Master. I failed to kill Skywalker but Kenobi is injured critically. The rebels are beginning to evacuate on Shola. I'm going to face him directly while the Jedi Master is out of play._

 _I will send a small fleet to take care of the Rebels. Do not disappoint me my apprentice. Skywalker will be expecting you now._

 _Yes my master._

Mara reopened her eyes and hurried out of the room to join the rebels scurrying around like mice, grabbing everything that wasn't nailed down and loading them onto the two Gallofree transports on standby. She moved through the base careful not to attract attention and reached out with the Force searching for Skywalker.

He was in the command center. Mara ignited her lightsaber and cut a hole into the ventilation above her and climbed inside, crawling through the maze of ductwork until she could feel Skywalker below her. Mara primed a concussion grenade, flashbang, and smoke grenade and dropped them through the open grate into the command center as analysts and technicians scurried about wiping databanks and copying files.

The grenades went off in quick succession and Mara dropped down through the duct with her lightsaber ignited. She cut down two soldiers reaching for their blaster pistols and hurled a chair at a disoriented Anakin. Anakin redirected the chair and hurled it through one of the glass monitors lining the center of the room and around the table. Mara caught the tip of Anakin's lightsaber on her blade as she flipped over him and feinted for his leg bringing the violet blade swinging up to take off his head.

Anakin blocked the blow easily getting in a few slashes to force the assassin back. He didn't want any more innocents caught in the crossfire of the fight unfolding. Mara rolled forward and drove her lightsaber towards his heart with the speed of a viper.

Anakin intercepted the blade with his lightsaber and shoved her back again roughly. Mara deflected a spray of blaster fire as some of the men regained consciousness and found their rifles.

"Hold your fire!" Anakin bellowed over the commotion as she redirected the blaster fire back at her foes.

Mara blocked the last few blaster bolts back towards Anakin and he redirected them harmlessly into the ceiling of the command center. Mara reached out with the Force and hurled the table behind Anakin at him taking him out below the knees. She flipped through the air triumphant and sank her violet blade into the floor where his head had been a moment before.

Anakin kicked her leg out harshly as he rolled away and regained his footing watching the girl warily. She was barely sixteen but there was no doubt it was the same girl his Master had retrieved all those years ago. She was one of the Emperor's Hands.

Mara snarled and unleashed a concussive wave of pure energy. Anakin raised a Force barrier in time to catch most of the blow but the others around him were not as fortunate as they soared across the room and smashed into equipment scattered along the walls.

Mara sprinted forward slashing for his chest and lunged for his eyes. Anakin parried every blow as it felt. Her technique was sloppy. She was taking aspects from different saber forms and trying to make her own. Anakin decided to go on the offensive and charged forward with the Force fueling his blows. He brought his saber crashing down where she'd been and cut through part of the table with a vicious blow. He was a master of the Djem So form and his rage only fueled the power behind the blows of the aggressive saber technique.

Mara gave more and more ground as Anakin advanced relentlessly, hammering at her defenses. Mara rolled to the side and primed a detonite switch on her equipment belt. She needed another distraction before he cut in her in two. Charges all over Phoenix Base went off in rapid succession and warning sirens screamed through every corridor in the facility.

Anakin relaxed his offensive reaching out with the Force to make sure the medical wing hadn't been damaged. A blast had taken out a section of the base close to it but none had damaged the makeshift medical bay.

Mara reached out with a hand and put pressure on his airway. Anakin let out a gasp as his airways closed, "Not so fun when you're on the receiving end is it Lord Vader?" she asked him with false sweetness.

Mara tightened her grip around Skywalker's throat and his feet left the ground as he brushed against the ceiling. She tossed him like a rag doll against the walls of the corridor and returned the pressure back to his throat. He was started to turn an unseemly shade of red now. Any minute now and her mission would be complete.

Mara advanced on Skywalker eagerly. "Just die," she spat, tightening the grip around his throat even more. She could see his eyes beginning to roll into the back of his head and let out a scream of pain as a blaster bolt caught her in the shoulder. Mara brought her lightsaber up in a defensive position and blocked the incoming spray of fire from a wounded soldier from the command center.

Anakin gasped for air and massaged his throat before staggering to his feet. He nodded silently in thanks to his rescuer. Anakin gathered the Force and sent a blast of dark energy into Mara's chest. Mara flew down the corridor and slammed into the wall violently collapsing in a heap.

"Help the other survivors in the command center evacuate the rest of the base," he ordered the soldier. "Thank you Captain," he finished as the solider raced back inside base command.

Anakin returned his attention to Mara and watched her rise to her feet weakly. He raised his gloved hand and began to return the favor. With a gasp, she rose off the ground and soared back across the corridor into his outstretched hand. "This is for Obi-wan," he whispered in her ear as he ran his lightsaber through her stomach.

He deactivated his lightsaber and tossed her to the side without a second thought heading towards the medical bay. He almost ran past the entrance as he slid to a stop waiting impatiently for the doors to open. He only found one of the droids inside gathering the last of the supplies.

"Where is he?" Anakin demanded of the droid.

"Master Kenobi has been transferred onto one of the transports preparing to leave the system. Per your orders to evacuate the base General."

"Thank you," Anakin replied, hurrying for the hangar. He had to get to his X-wing and leave with the others before he got left behind alone with a welcoming party from an Imperial fleet entering the sector.

Anakin jumped over a Y-wing warming up and landed roughly in the cockpit of his X-wing with R2 chirping loudly at him. "I know buddy we're getting out of here." He primed the engines and guided the X-wing out of the hangar after the other members of his squadron already soaring up into the sky leaving the scorched planet below far behind them.

"Red Squadron standing by," one of the other X-wing detachments chimed in.

"This is Black Leader, all starfighters form up around the transports and prepare to make the jump for hyperspace," Anakin ordered over the comms. He didn't risk announcing their destination over an open channel. Anyone could be listening in to the right frequency. After a few moments, the rebel fleet had fled the system.

A Star Destroyer jumped into view accompanied by a few Acclamators moments later. "Sir, a sizable fleet just entered hyperspace before we arrived."

"We just missed them then. Scan the surface for any rebel activity," the Star Destroyer's commander ordered the crew in the dug-out monitoring stations below.

"Captain, we're detecting an Imperial distress beacon coming from the coordinates provided by ISB," an analyst reported.

"Have flight control dispatch a search party for the beacon's origin," the captain ordered. "Be prepared for anything.

Mara had managed to crawl her way to the hangar and tried to match her erratic heartbeat to the pulses the distress beacon was putting off as it broadcast her location. She only hoped they got here in time.

A transport coasted into the hangar and set down, retracting its wings. The landing ramp descended and a team of stormtroopers marched down with rifles ready for anything. "Clear," one of them called out scanning the hangar for hostiles. "One wounded."

A combat medic hurried off the craft with a hoverstretcher and the troopers lifted her and set her down on it. The stretcher carried her safely inside the craft with the troopers following. Mara grabbed the wrist of the combat medic tightly, "Take me to the Emperor," she ordered weakly before slipping into unconsciousness.

Anakin sat in a chair facing the tank Obi-wan was floating almost lifelessly in. He had been willing him to wake up for two days. The medical staff was starting to become concerned and had asked him multiple times to go get some sleep and come back in the morning to see if his condition changed. His wound was healing well but he still remained deaf to the world and showed no sign of coming back to it anytime soon.

"Wake up," he whispered, never taking his eyes off Obi-wan for a second. He'd nearly dozed off earlier but Obi-wan had stirred briefly. Anakin reached out through their bond. _Wake up. Come back to me._

Anakin let out a deep sigh when nothing happened after a few moments. He glanced over at a few of the staff returning to check on some of the wounded from Anakin's and Mara's battle back on Shola. They'd lost four men because of her and Anakin had nearly lost the one person left that mattered to him in the galaxy.

Anakin returned his attention to the bacta tanks when a sensor started to chirp rapidly as Obi-wan woke up. The tank began to drain and a few of the staff hurried over with towels and some clothes. Obi-wan coughed and spluttered and struggled to stand with the help of the staff. The medics toweled the remaining bacta off of him and wrapped a thin cloak around him. Obi-wan looked up to see Anakin running towards him and grunted in pain when the taller Jedi wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"I thought I'd lost you," he mumbled into Obi-wan's ear. Obi-wan returned the embrace with a weak smile.

"I'm here now. I heard you."

The chief medical officer ordered the staff to give them some space and sent the others back to work. Anakin held onto Obi-wan for a few moments longer before lowering one arm to his waist and helping him over to one of the empty beds on the other side of the medical bay.

"What happened? We're not on Shola," Obi-wan asked, not recognizing the medical ward they were in.

"A Hand of the Emperor came for me. She shot you on Shola. I gave the order to evacuate Phoenix Base in case they'd revealed our position. She'd been with the Alliance for the last two years Obi-wan. I'd flown missions with her," Anakin replied, "I still failed to sense the threat she posed."

"You couldn't have known." Obi-wan took Anakin's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"No I should have remembered her. The Emperor brought her to the palace as an infant and raised and trained her. She's his spy and assassin," Anakin explained to him.

"A lot has happened since you left the Empire. You can't expect everything Palpatine throws at us." Obi-wan propped himself up in the hospital bed with some pillows.

"You're right," Anakin said with a sigh. He leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully his grip around Obi-wan's hand lingering.

"Of course I am."

Anakin laughed with him briefly. It felt good to laugh. It dawned on him just how tired he was. He slipped out of the chair he'd been sitting in beside Obi-wan's bed and began to enter a trance to rest. It wasn't long before he had slumped over onto Obi-wan's bed sleeping peacefully. Not a single nightmare to disturb him.

 **A/N: There's an extra long chapter to make up for the wait. I've finally uploaded this to Ao3 as well. I'll try to update with the next chapter soon. I have tomorrow off to try and get a bulk of it done but I might try to take a crack at some of my other works.**


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